A Wilting Rose
by HayBales2011
Summary: When Rose wakes up in the TARDIS with a headache, thing spiral out of control. All of a sudden, Rose and the Doctor are battling a new enemy: Cancer. Dedicated to all that have been affected by this terrible disease.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:**__ This past week, a dear old lady from my church, a part of the group of women that were like extra mothers for me, passed away from cancer. So, this is dedicated to Miss Kathy, her family, and all others that have been touched by this terrible disease._

It was a quiet morning in the TARDIS. The ship had just exited its night mode, switched on for the benefit of her human passengers that needed the sleep, at this time namely Rose Tyler. She got out of bed feeling like her head was being split in two. She had never had a headache or migraine like this before, and she hoped it would go away. As the lights of the TARDIS rose on the console room, it only got worse. She got out of bed and went to find the Doctor, who was surely enjoying breakfast in the TARDIS kitchen.

"Rose! Good morning! Where should we go today, then?" He asked cheerfully, putting plate with a piece of toast and a cup of tea at Rose's place at the table. He notice her grimacing at the light, and noticed her pale appearance. "Rose, are you alright?"

"Yeah…it's just…my head…"

"Well…maybe tea will help? It always does for me." The Doctor said. Rose smiled, remembering the day after his regeneration where the thermos of tea had, quite literally, brought him back to life. She pulled the chair out from under the table, when the Doctor noticed her hands were shaking.

"Rose…are you sure you're ok?" The Doctor asked. Rose's grip loosed on the chair, and she fell to the floor. She shook wildly, her eyes open wide but vacant. The Doctor ran to his companion, cupping her head in his hands. After a few seconds, Rose was still. She came to after her seizure, the Doctor taking his glass of water from the table and offering it to Rose. Rose took a long drink, and began to sob.

"I'm sorry…I thought it was…I thought it was just a headache."

"We need to get you to a hospital."

"So, maybe New Earth then? The cat-nuns would be able to cure me in an instant, right?"

"It's touchy. Their medicines are for new diseases- diseases a person from your time could never get. That, and the human body changes so much…they may do more harm than good."

"I'm so tired…" Rose said. The Doctor helped her up and got her to the console room, where she helped her lay down on the couches that surrounded the main console. Rose's eyes closed immediately and she was asleep within what seemed like seconds. The Doctor quietly set the TARDIS into motion, the TARDIS herself helping out my making sure the flight was as smooth as possible. They arrived, and the Doctor slowly and quietly opened the door, emerging into the living room of the London flat Rose and her mother shared.

"Doctor!" Jackie Tyler exclaimed seeing him come through the door. Then, she noticed that Rose wasn't behind him, "Where's Rose?"

"I may need your help." The Doctor said, "She's inside the TARDIS."

"Oh, what did you do now? You got her into some sort of trouble, didn't you?"

"It's not me, I promise you." The Doctor said as Jackie followed the Doctor into the console room, and saw her daughter sleeping on the couch.

"Well, what happened?" Jackie asked.

"She had a seizure, Jackie. We need to get her to the hospital."

"Wait, aren't you some sort of high-tech alien? Can't you take her to some future hospital or something?" She asked.

"Their medicines might kill her. They're not for a person from her time. The body changes so much, there's no knowing what could help and what can hurt. The best thing we can do is use medicine from her own time."

"Right. Let's get her inside the flat." Jackie said. They moved the sleeping Rose and placed her on the living room couch, Jackie draping one of the throw blankets kept beside the television over her as she grabbed the phone to call the ambulance. The Doctor moved the TARDIS as not to cause a scene when the ambulance arrived. The ambulance came as fast as they could, and the paramedics woke Rose up to take her to the hospital.

"Mum, I'm sorry…" She said groggily. Her mother took her hand and squeezed it tight.

"It's alright, sweetheart. We just need to make sure you're ok." Jackie said. Rose lay down on the gurney and was taken to the ambulance, her mother and the Doctor following close by in the TARDIS. The Doctor timed the TARDIS' arrival with the ambulance, and then the waiting began. As the doctors did test after test on Rose, the Doctor was left pacing the waiting room, anxious to hear any news at all.

"Oh, sit down, Doctor, that pacing is driving me mad." Jackie said, "It won't make them be able to finish up any faster." She added. The Doctor sat and held his head in his hands.

"It's just…this takes so long. I'm not used to this, having to wait." The Doctor said. Jackie took his hand and smiled.

"She'll be alright, Doctor. No matter what, she'll be alright." She said. Just then, a man in a white coat entered the room.

"Ah, Doctor Fitzroy. Did you do all the tests on Rose?" Jackie asked.

"Yes, I did. Come with me, please." Dr. Fitzroy said. Jackie and the Doctor followed him to a room where Rose was sitting in a chair, awake but groggy. She had obviously been sleeping through most of the tests, and was now perhaps starting to get some strength back.

"Doctor!" She said. Dr. Fitzroy smiled at her, before realizing that she had meant someone else. The Doctor went to her side and gave her a hug, before Dr. Fitzroy motioned for them to sit.

"Now, Rose, we did some scans on you while you were asleep, including what's called a PET scan." He began to explain, "The purpose of this is to make sure there aren't any tumors in your brain that may be contributing to your symptoms, and unfortunately, this is what it looks like." Dr. Fitzroy said, pulling up an image on a computer. Rose could see it clear as day- the white blot in the middle of the image.

"So I have…cancer?" Rose asked breathlessly as tears began to stream down her face. The Doctor began to shed tears as well, which was extremely rare for him, and Jackie was inconsolable.

"We'll take care of you, Rose, I promise. We can start treatment right away, and we have a whole staff of experts here to help." Dr. Fitzroy said, "And it looks like you've got quite a team behind you here." He added. Rose took the hands of her family (the Doctor might as well be a Tyler, right?) and gave both of them a smile. Nothing would tear them apart. Not even cancer.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: **__So, this chapter is extremely short, and I'm posting a lot later than I wanted to. Sorry about that! I'm afraid I'm having quite a case of writer's block! That, combined with a case of the flu made for an extremely unproductive Haybales. Hopefully I'll be updating more often during Christmas break! Hope you enjoy! ~Haybales_

2 Weeks Later:

Two weeks after the diagnosis, Rose was beginning to have her first treatments. At the beginning, Rose didn't feel much of anything. Her headache was now constant, and no amount of aspirin would help to relieve them, no matter how she tried. Rose walked in to the Royal Hope Hospital, a book tucked under one arm, and the Doctor on the other. Though it pained the Doctor to both have to experience linear time (how _did_ humans not go mad with boredom?) and to see his companion in such pain, he knew it was important that he be there for her every step of the way. The chemo treatments sometimes could take hours, and Rose needed both company and moral support. Rose gave him a smile as they walked through the door of the hospital, and the Doctor still saw the spark in her that told him she would beat this. Rose Tyler was not easily discouraged, frightened, or beaten, and that was never more evident then it was in the past two weeks.

As Rose was ushered into the room in which she would get the treatment, she became visibly more nervous. Every time that she came into this room, she came out feeling weaker and weaker. She knew that this therapy was the only thing that may end up keeping her alive, and if she was to have any chance at all, she had to follow through with them no matter how ill they made her feel. The Doctor was always there, which definitely helped. Seeing him smile at her lifted her spirits considerably. Looking at him, she was reminded of the life before the diagnosis, when things were good and universe was still bright and shiny. True, she did deal with evil in the form of Daleks, Cybermen and the like, but she had never experienced such a real threat to her life until now. The Doctor knew this. Sickness was the only thing that he couldn't help, and humans had so many of them. He knew that perhaps, one day, he would have to watch Rose wither and die. They had talked about it outside Deffry Vale High School, the one invaded by Krillitanes. It was (what he called) the curse of the Time Lords. But then, it still seemed years off. He could never have imagined what would follow just weeks later.

"Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?" The nurse asked Rose after hooking her up to the machines.

"No, I'm fine, thank you." She replied, shifting herself into a more comfortable position among the wires and tubes. The kind nurse smiled and left the pair alone. Rose opened her book and began to read as the Doctor sat in the armchair next to her.

"So, how do you feel?" The Doctor asked.

"I feel fine. Just a little queasy sometimes, that's all. I'm sure it'll get worse though." Rose replied. The Doctor put his hand on hers.

"No, I don't mean physically." The Doctor said. Rose lowered her book, revealing eyes bristling with tears.

"I'm…I'm scared, Doctor," She said, voice wavering, "I mean, I've fought for my life against bog monsters and Daleks, but against my own body, what can I do?"

"You're doing all you can do. You're brave. Your bravery is the most important part of all of this. It always has been, whether we're talking Daleks or cancer." The Doctor answered. Rose grabbed her bag, pulling out a small white handkerchief. She unfolded it, and against the white fabric was what amounted to a handful of blonde strands of hair.

"I found it on my pillow this morning." Rose said, before bursting again into tears, "It's starting. Mum says…mum says I should get it shaved soon." She added. The Doctor got up from his chair and enveloped Rose in his arms, as well as he could while minding the wires and tubes connecting her to the machines.

"You're going to beat this, Rose. I'll use all my power to make that happen." The Doctor said. He didn't know what power he had here, but if there was anything that could be done, he would do it. He would do anything for Rose, of course, but it was so much harder when there was nothing he could do to help. That's why he was crying, and the crying was why he was still hugging Rose. After all, a hug is a great way to hide your face.


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N: _**_Hello again! I suppose I should call my writer's block cured, getting out two chapters in relatively quick succession like this! I hope you all are enjoying it, and I would love to hear your opinions in the reviews! ~ Haybales_

The next day, the Doctor waited patiently on the couch for Rose and her mother to come back. He had a surprise for her, and this was the perfect time to show her. The Tyler girls walked through the door, Rose wearing a scarf tied around her head. It was obvious from her red eyes that she had been crying, and there were still tear tracks on her mother's cheeks as well. The Doctor stood, once again enveloping his companion in his arms. Rose removed the scarf from her head, revealing a head that was free of everything but skin where just hours ago there was beautiful blonde hair.

"This…this makes it…real." Rose said, able to keep her composure. It was just hair, after all, and it would grow back if…no, Rose didn't want to think about the alternative. It would grow back.

"For all of us." The Doctor said, loosening the hold on Rose's hips. Jackie put her hand on her daughter's shoulder, wanting to add all the support she could. It was natural for a mother to take care of her child, but not like this. The idea of having to bury your child was one that shouldn't even occur to a parent, and it was a hard thing to wrestle with. Jackie would do anything she could to avoid it, but, like the Doctor, she could only do so much, and it was driving her mad. She had broken down at the barber's, watching Rose's hair fall to the ground. Rose did, too. They knew that it was necessary, but seeing it happen…made it so much more concrete. Before, at times they could forget about it. Rose was still feeling well enough to go out in public most days, and there was nothing that let you know, looking at her, that she was sick. Now, everyone would be able to tell.

"How about I put in something for supper?" Jackie said. The Doctor and Rose nodded, sitting on the couch.

"So, the barber's, how was it."

"Oh, it was alright, not counting losing my hair." Rose said, "When I got there, they said they'd do it for free, so that was nice. And every one else in the place came by my chair and wished me good luck. I hated it."

"Hated it?"

"I don't want pity, Doctor." Rose said, "I'm sick, yeah, but there's nothing pity will do to help. Their intentions are good, but sometimes I just…I just want to forget. Now, with this I'll stand out like a sore thumb."

"Maybe not." The Doctor said, "Have I ever told you about a hologram shell?"

"Hologram shell?"

"It can project any image onto the mind of the observer that you want. You just have to swallow this little pill thing. It can even work on your own eyes. Swallow one of these, and you'll be able to seem like you still have your hair, even if you don't." The Doctor explained.

"What? Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, it won't actually give you hair, you'll feel like you're bald, but people will see your normal hair."

"That's brilliant! Why are you just now telling me about this?"

"Oh, I don't know, was just reminded of it I guess."

"Oh, Doctor, I could bloody kiss you right now." Rose said. As soon as the words left her mouth, Rose blushed, even more noticeable given her paler-than-normal appearance.

"You could, could you?" The Doctor said, smiling. Jackie watched intently from the kitchen as Rose and the Doctor were drawn together by a sort of magnetic force, as if an invisible thread linking them was getting shorter and shorter, causing them to get closer and closer together. Finally, their lips drew together. As they kissed, Rose brought her hands up towards the Doctor's head. She put them on the back of his head as if to ruffle his hair, but she felt nothing. She drew slightly away from the Doctor as she spoke.

"What the…" She said.

"I told you about the hologram shell, didn't I?" The Doctor said. He pulled the sonic screwdriver from his pocket and pressed the button. Jackie's gasp was almost lost in the whirr of the sonic as the Doctor deactivated the hologram shell, revealing that there was nothing on his head…but skin.

"Doctor…you did this…for me?" Rose said.

"Of course I did. Now, you won't stick out like a sore thumb." He said. As Jackie began crying in the kitchen, the thread linking Rose and the Doctor shortened again, and they drew together once more, more passionately than ever.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: **__I'm baaack! So sorry for my long absence, work during Christmas was absolutely crazy (shopgirl, remember?) and the holidays are always just so busy! I was able to eke out this little chapter for you guys today though, so I hope you enjoy!_

With the continued treatments, Rose got weaker and weaker. She was no longer able to accompany the Doctor or her mother into town on everyday tasks, except when she was well-rested, and she was constantly asleep and in bed. Her eyes sunken, and skin pale, it seemed to the Doctor that all that remained of his companion physically was a shadow of her former self. Mentally, however, she was still as smart as ever and perhaps even more determined to live now than ever before. The Doctor routinely sat by her on the couch in the living room, where he had now set up a permanent residence, leaving the TARDIS locked and to her own devices on a nearby street corner, and watched repeats of her favorite shows with her. She didn't feel up to much else a lot of the time, so the Doctor delved into the world of _EastEnders_ and _Strictly Come Dancing_ along with his funny little pink-and-yellow human. At this particular moment, Rose was curled up with her head on his arm, eyes closed and sleeping peacefully. The Doctor's arm began to tingle and go numb, but he didn't dare to move it, as he didn't want to disturb her. He knew she needed the rest. Perhaps he would allow himself to drift off, too.

There, in front of the telly, Rose began to dream. In the middle of London, she was arm-in-arm with the Doctor, huddled together in the winter cold. Her legs were steadier beneath her than they had been in months, and her breath, visible through the swirls of fog it left in the night air, was strong and steady. The pair were walking through a small little market set up in the city, Rose perhaps thinking it was the remains of a Christmas market that had yet to shut for the season. They walked together to the Thames, the lights of the city reflected in the dark, glassy water. They leaned over slightly over the railing of a bridge to see their reflections in the river, and Rose smiled. Her hands went to her shoulders, which found her much-missed locks of golden blonde hair, just the same as it had been before. She shivered in the cold, and the Doctor held her tighter, helping to warm her up as much as he could do. Rose sighed, taking in the beauty of the moment.

"Doctor, I have something I should tell you…before…" Rose said.

"Before what?"

"Before…before I die."

"Don't say that." The Doctor said

"No, it's true. I'm gonna die one day, whether it's cause of this cancer or not, and I'm gonna have to leave you. That's ok, I'm human, and I suppose it's what we do. But before that, I need to tell you…that I love you." Rose said. She took another deep breath, "Oh god, why can I only say that in a dream?" She sighed. The Doctor smiled, and the dream began to fade. Rose was waking up.

Rose opened her eyes, realizing that she was watching the menu screen from the DVD they had put in hours ago. What had they been watching, anyway? Rose had been asleep to long to remember. She felt the Doctor move under her, and she moved her head from her arm to allow him the room to stretch. He had evidently fallen asleep, too.

"Did you sleep well? Have nice dreams?" The Doctor asked.

"Yeah, I definitely did." Rose said.

"I know." The Doctor said, smiling knowingly. Rose blushed. _Oh my god, I should've known…telepathic Time Lord and all that, he probably knows how to share a dream! _She thought. Just then, to save her further embarrassment, her mother came through the door, announcing that it was time again to see the doctor. They were going to check on the progress of her treatments again, and make adjustments if necessary. These visits always got Rose's hopes up. She always liked to imagine the tumor in her brain shrinking, dying away and letting her live. However, Rose's rational half told her it was impossible. Rose liked to block that part of her out from time to time. Most times, it led to good things, like it did when she ran away with her Doctor. Time would only tell what it may bring her this time.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Hiya! I really don't have anything to say about the chapter, but I have what might be called a little game to play! I put two references in this chapter, to things outside of Doctor Who (they may, however, have to do with the actors/actresses, hint hint) and the first person to catch both will get a little shout out in the next chapter :) Hope you enjoy!**_

Before she spoke with Dr. Fitzroy, Rose had to wait. These were always the toughest times. The Doctor was always with her, and they would sit back and read, or perhaps just talk about life for the entire time. Anything that took Rose's mind off of her sterile hospital surroundings was more than welcome. Mostly, they would reminisce about good old TARDIS days, werewolves, Daleks, Cybermen, and all the adventures they had had together. The end goal of these treatments, Rose knew, was to shrink her tumor enough so that it would be operable, able to be removed from her brain by the steady hands of an expert surgeon and taken off far away where she would never have to worry about it again. However, this was beginning to seem like a pipe dream. Through the treatments she had already endured, the shrinkage of the tumor was all but negligible, getting no closer to getting rid of the thing that was killing her. Her last hope was this last scan. If there was no change here, Doctor Fitzroy doubted highly that there would ever be. Rose had been calm, almost stoic, as he told her this in their last meeting. She knew that her life or death depended on what the scans showed today. As such, she was understandably more nervous than usual. She tried to keep her mind off of it, hiding her nose in a her favorite Jane Austen novel, _Mansfield Park_, and losing herself in the world of literature. Chemo, it seemed, had turned her into a reader. She decided that she would have to keep that up once it was finished. _If it finishes…_ she corrected herself. However engrossing her book may have been, she still could not entirely distract herself from the current situation. Every once in a while, a wave of anxiety would come over her, and her hands would start shaking. The pages of the book would rustle as she reached next to her for the Doctor's hand. Then, her mind would begin to clear and her hands would steady. She took a deep breath and smiled at the Doctor, who smiled back. It wouldn't be long now until they would be called in for the scans. Then, they would have another long wait while the scans were read and a course of action was made. It was going to be a long afternoon. Rose took a short break from her book and looked around her. There was only one other group in the waiting room with them, a little girl and her mother. The little girl was 10 at the very most, and her head was as bald as Rose's was. Rose had to keep from crying when she noticed them. For as short of a life as Rose had lived so far, she had to admit that she had seen a lot. How many 21 year olds would be able to claim that they had seen the end of the Earth, and planet and aliens that were lightyears away? How many could say that they had fallen in love with a strange man from the stars that had come to take them away in their magic blue box with a funny name? This little girl had so much potential, she had time to do anything she wanted to do with her life, and she was fighting for her life against her own body, the same as Rose was.

"Rose Tyler?" A young nurse called, coming through the door into the waiting room. Rose got up from her seat, the Doctor following behind.

"Sorry, Doctor, you can't come in for this one I'm afraid." The nurse said. Nurses and doctors often got quite acquainted with their patients in the cancer ward, with them coming in about once a week for their treatments. The Doctor came with Rose every single time, so they now knew him by name as well.

"Yes, of course." The Doctor said, "I'll see you when you're done, Rose." He added, sitting back down. Soon after, the nurse came to take the little girl back as well, and the Doctor and the mother were alone. They sat in awkward silence for quite a while, until finally the mother decided to introduce herself.

"Hello," The mother said, "I'm Allie."

"I'm the Doctor." He replied with a kind smile.

"You work at the hospital then?" Allie asked.

"No, that's my name, the Doctor. Just the Doctor."

"Interesting name." Allie said, putting her hands on her thighs, a hallmark of an awkward conversation.

"So, your daughter's having scans done, too?"

"Yes. And how about your…erm…your…"

"Friend."

"Ah yes, your friend."

"Yeah. Seeing if this chemo stuff is really working. It's almost worse than the chemo itself." The Doctor said.

"I suppose it is. For us, at least. We're not the ones who are going through it. Kristy's a fighter, though. She's barely complained at all, bless her."

"Rose too."

"I saw the way you looked at her." Allie said, "You should tell her."

"Tell her what?"  
>"That you love her. You've obviously shown her, and I think she knows, but it's nice to hear it out loud. Especially in a situation like this, you never know when you may get another chance. People like to think about the people who are dying, but it's perhaps even worse for the people who get left behind."<br>"Rose isn't dying. Kristy isn't either. You shouldn't think like that. A defeatist attitude leads to defeat." The Doctor said, "Perhaps not the most poetic proverb, but it's true."

"I guess you're right. But, it's best to be realistic."  
>"I'm not the realistic sort, I reckon," The Doctor said, "But even so, have faith. You said your daughter's a fighter. This is the fight of her life. If she sees you giving up, maybe she will too, and you never want that." The Doctor said.<p>

"I don't know why I'm talking about this with you…"

"Oh, I just have one of those faces. Either way, I'm here to help."

"I'm just scared." Allie said, "I'm scared that…that I'm going to be a mother anymore."

"Don't say that," The Doctor said, "Even if she may not come out on the other end of this, you'll always be her mother. As long as you have her in your heart. I'll always have Rose with me, doesn't matter if she's physically here or not. The same goes with your Kristy." The Doctor said. A tear ran down Allie's cheek.

"Thank you, Doctor." She said, voice quaking a small bit. The door to the back opened, and Rose came back and sat next to the Doctor.

"So, make a new friend while I was gone, did you?" She asked.

"Yes, yes I did." The Doctor said, smiling at Allie. Now, they just had to wait to see what the scans would say. Rose now would keep her trembling hand inside the Doctor's. It was no secret that she was absolutely terrified.


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: **__So, we are almost to the end of this story. Only two more chapters to go! I hope you're enjoying it! No one guessed the references in my last chapter, so I will leave that open for one more chapter! Go back and see if you can spot them ;) ~ Haybales_

A couple of chapters of _Mansfield Park_ later, the nurse called Rose and the Doctor back to receive the final word. Rose stood, her hands shaking and taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down. The Doctor took her hand, and put his other arm around her shoulder, gently leading her on to the doctor's office. The nurse smiled widely at them as she opened the door, and they returned it as well as they could. They were both nervous, even if the Doctor was perhaps better at hiding it. He could think of nothing worse than even the thought of losing her. They had to wait yet again before Dr. Fitzroy came in.

"It'll be fine, Rose." The Doctor said, "Don't be so nervous. Worrying about it won't help to change a thing." He added, perhaps just as much for his own benefit as for Rose.

"I know, but I can't stop…what if it's not what we want to hear?"

"We'll deal with it as it comes. Don't ever count yourself out." The Doctor said. Rose sighed, and soon the door opened. In came Dr. Fitzroy, a manila envelope clutched under his arm. He smiled.

"Well, Ms. Tyler, I suppose you'll be wanting to know what these say." He said. _Oh, just cut to the case, doctor! _Rose wanted to scream, but she just nodded politely. Dr. Fitzroy took the scans from the envelope and placed them for Rose and the Doctor to see. He put two different pictures side-by-side, the white blotch that signified the tumor a great deal smaller on one than the other. Rose couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Is that…"

"Yes, it seems that your tumor has shrunk dramatically in the past couple of weeks since your last scan." Dr. Fitzroy said, indicating the one with the bigger tumor.

"So…does this mean surgery?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid it does. We'll want to get on that as soon as possible. The sooner we operate, the sooner you can be rid of us, Miss Tyler."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I'd like that very much!" Rose smiled, taking a deep sigh of relief.

"But, just because it's operable doesn't mean that we can call it cured just yet. There's still a chance there can be some issues that we can't see on the scan, or there can be something that can happen during surgery."

"Like what, doctor?" The Doctor asked.

"Well, we are dealing with the brain, sir. There's always a chance of perhaps some loss of functionality, or memory loss in situations like this. However slim the chance may be, it's worth keeping in mind. But, as young and otherwise heathy as our Rose here is, I wouldn't necessarily be too worried. She's a great candidate for this, especially given how fast her tumor has grown." Dr. Fitzroy explained. Rose and the Doctor smiled at each other.

"So how soon can we schedule the surgery?" Rose asked.

"Oh, perhaps within the week. We'll just have to see. The receptionist on your way out can give you the details. We'll also want you to come in for a few more treatments after the surgery in order to get any bits of the tumor we might leave behind and to make sure that it won't come back right away." Dr. Fitzroy said.

"Thank you, thank you so much!" Rose exclaimed. Dr. Fitzroy smiled and laughed as Rose got up to give him a hug. Then, the Doctor rose to shake his hand.

"Thank you for taking such good care of her, doctor." He said.

"I must say, in my experience, it takes quite a support system in order for a patient to get through this as well as Rose has. Well done…Doctor." Dr. Fitzroy said. Rose took the Doctor's hand as Dr. Fitzroy opened the door and pointed them on the way out. As soon as they were back in the waiting room, they hurtled themselves into each other's arms, Rose crying tears of joy. Allie, who was watching them from her chair, at first got up to comfort them, as the tears made her think that they had just received bad news, but soon their wide smiles told the truth.

"You heard what you wanted, didn't you?" Allie smiled.

"Yes, yes we did." Rose said, "And I hope you will, too." She said, embracing her as well.

"Hopefully I will. Thank you, again, for your kind words, Doctor."

"Like I said, I'm here to help." He replied.

"He loves you, you know?" Allie said to Rose, "No one can go through this with you and not love you. It's just not done."

"I know." Rose said, taking the Doctor's hand. Together, they left the hospital, Rose infused with a burst of energy she hadn't seen in months. Hopefully, in not too long, she would be able to be back to her old self. A renewed sense of optimism was welling up, not only in Rose, but in the Time Lord next to her. They still had the surgery to go, and that was surely not going to be a picnic, but what could go wrong?


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: **__So, this is the next to last chapter. I hope you've enjoyed this story, and I should have that last chapter to you for sure by the end of the week. And yes, I did have to have them say that at the end of the last chapter ;) _

Throughout the next week, preparations were made for Rose's surgery. Jackie had taken off at work to help out during her recovery, and the Doctor had made sure they had all possible DVDs in order for Rose to drift off to. As much as it may have pained him to have to run on the slo path at the beginning of this, he was now starting to love being able to simply sit with Rose and not have to worry about where the next invasion was coming from. Together, Jackie and the Doctor tried to take everything off of Rose's plate, in order that she would not be made more nervous than she already was. It worked, for the most part, but now their worries multiplied. They would never let on to Rose, however, otherwise she'd start to worry about their worrying. It was a vicious cycle. The day of the surgery came quicker than they expected, and soon they were on their way to hospital yet again, Rose's packed bag tuned under her arm as they traveled on the Tube.

"Two more stops." Jackie noted. Rose and the Doctor nodded. The group had been silent the entire journey, out of fear and worry. The Doctor tried to follow his own advice and try to find a way to calm himself down, but to no avail. Rose tried the same, and was even less successful. The Doctor had noticed that the calmest among them through this whole ordeal had been Jackie. Sure, they had spoken shortly about it, but other than that, she had kept a level head. As they exited the Tube station and entered the hospital, nerves mounted, and the silence began thicker. They got Rose checked in, and the nurses immediately brought her back and began to prep her. IVs inserted and ready to go, they were now ready to take Rose to the operating room.

"Wait," Rose told the nurses, "I promise this won't take long." She added.

"Are you alright, Rose?" Jackie asked.

"Yeah, yeah," She replied. She took the necklace from her neck- a lovely warp star that the Doctor had given her for the latest Christmas they had spent together, "I want you to hold on to this, Doctor." She said, handing it to him, "That way, in case anything happens…"

"Don't talk like that."

"I just want you to hold on to it for me. Please." She said.

"Yeah, of course, I will." The Doctor said. Rose smiled, then laid back down.

"I'll see you two later, yeah?" Rose said.

"Yeah, you better." Jackie replied. Rose smiled, then the nurses wheeled the gurney away, and her family was left to wait.

What seemed like hours later, and it might have been, The Doctor was once again pacing in the waiting room of the Royal Hope hospital.

"Doctor! The pacing!" Jackie exclaimed, "I swear, you're driving me mad."

"Sorry." The Doctor said, sitting back down, "Just wondering, how are you staying so calm?"  
>"Well, I thought my world ended the day Pete died." Jackie said, "I felt abandoned, left to be a single mother, when Rose was only six months old. But then, I realized what a gift it was that I at least still had her. I don't know what you believe, Doctor, but I like to think that maybe Pete looks down from time to time, smiling at how Rose is growing up. If Rose…well, you know, if she doesn't come out of this thing, then maybe she'd be able to meet him and they can both look down on us together. I suppose…I made my peace with it the day I became a widow."<p>

"Ah, now I see where Rose gets it from." The Doctor said.

"Gets what?"

"Her strength." He replied. Jackie smiled and took his hand, and at that moment, the nurse came through the door.

"She's about ready to wake up, if you guys want to come back and see her." She said, "Dr. Fitzroy's waiting with her." She added. They got up and followed the nurse back to a private room where Rose was sleeping in the bed. There were bandages all around the top of her head, but other than that, she looked peaceful.

"How did she pull through, doctor?" Jackie asked.

"Brilliantly, as I expected." Dr. Fitzroy said, "It's too soon to tell for sure that we got all of the tumor, but it would certainly be surprising if we didn't."

"And the effects that you were talking about, the 'loss of functionality' and all that?" The Doctor asked.

"We'd have to wait until she wakes up to be absolutely sure, but I don't think we have any reason to worry. It was a perfectly textbook operation." Dr. Fitzroy replied. The Doctor smiled, and Jackie took Rose's hand. She began to stir, and soon her eyes opened.

"Doctor! Doctor!" Jackie called. The Doctor came to Rose's side as she turned her head toward her mother.

"Mum…" She said groggily.

"Yeah, I'm here sweetheart. Look, Doctor, we had nothing to worry about."

"I never doubted it." The Doctor replied.

"You're the doctor?" Rose asked, a confused look crossing her face.

"Oh, sweetheart, you must still be groggy. You remember the Doctor!" Jackie said. Rose looked right at the Doctor, brows furrowed. There was no sign of recognition on her face whatsoever.

"The Doctor?" She asked, "Doctor who?"


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N:**__ So here we are, the last chapter! I hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Also, we finally have a winner of the reference game thingy! Margie_me guessed correctly that _Mansfield Park_ was one of the references, as Billie Piper, Rose herself, played the lead role of Fanny Price in a film version. The other reference was Allie's line that she "wasn't going to be a mother anymore", which is straight out of John Green's _The Fault in Our Stars_, which you should definitely read if you like this story! Be on the lookout for more stories from me in coming days! Thanks for reading all the way through!_

The Doctor left the hospital room, falling to sit on the ground just outside the door. How could this have happened? After everything they had been through, the end of the world and back, and Rose couldn't remember any of it. He felt the necklace in his pocket, wondering if he should return it to her now or wait. He had heard somewhere that objects like this, ones with sentimental value, could maybe bring back memories…he had no idea what to think. He didn't know what to do, which wasn't a feeling that occurred often for the Last Time Lord of Gallifrey. He was hopelessly lost.

Rose lay in her bed, with her mother by her side. For all she knew, that's all she needed. The strange man that had was at the foot of the bed when she woke up, that doctor…why did he look so sad? Why could she see him crying outside the door?

"Mum, who is that man? Why is he sad?"

"That's the Doctor, I told you. I'm afraid…I'm afraid you've forgotten some things with your surgery." Jackie replied.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked.

"It's a risk of the surgery." Dr. Fitzroy said sadly. Though he only saw this couple a few times during the course of Rose's treatments, it was obvious how in love they were, and the Doctor had been by her side every step of the way. It was a pity that it would go away now, when they were so close, "The brain is a delicate thing."

"The most important thing is that you're still alive." Jackie said. "We'll just have to help you remember, that's all." She added. A hush fell over the room as the Doctor came back in, a necklace in hand.

"Doctor, that's your name, isn't it?" Rose asked. The Doctor sighed.

"It's what people call me, yeah." He said, "I thought you might want this back." He said, giving the necklace to Rose.

"Thank you." She said, taking it and putting it around her neck. She had no memory of it, but it was still pretty nonetheless. Had he given it to her? That may explain why he was so sad, "Listen, Doctor. I'm sorry. I know that this must be frustrating for you. I really wish I could remember, I wish…I wish I could…."

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Rose." He replied, "I know what it's like to lose memories. It takes the rug out from under you." He added. Rose's eyes began to grow heavy again, and Jackie and Rose thought it was best to leave her be and let her sleep.

Again in the waiting room, the Doctor sat with his head in his hands.

"It'll be alright, Doctor." Jackie said, "She'll remember, I'm sure of it. She's still Rose, after all."

"Yes, she is." The Doctor said, "Just not…"

"Not what?"  
>"Not my Rose. She's forgotten me."<p>

Rose dreamt once more. This time, her subconscious must have trying to tell her something. Her dream was dominated by a blue box. It said Police on it, but somehow Rose knew that there wasn't just a telephone in there. She opened the door, and found herself in a preposterously large room that seemed to be a cockpit of sorts, with buttons and switches around a large glass column. She knew she had seen this before. She heard a soft female voice, saying: _Remember! _She looked around to see where it came from, but the only answer but she could find was that it came from somewhere inside the glass column. Now she knew she was dreaming. Whoever heard of a police box being alive? Then, images flew through her mind. She was flying above the earth, watching it explode in its final moments. She was being attacked by big metal pepper-pots, and was that a cat in a nun's wimple? Through all of these was one man by her side. True, sometimes he had a different face, gruff with short hair and blue eyes, but it was still the same man, she knew. The Doctor. The next image showed the Doctor with the blue eyes and gruff face and her in front of the TARDIS, silhouetted against a sharp golden light. He was kissing her. She had forgotten this too, but it seemed even further off than her other memories. This was something that had gone away sooner. Rose fainted in his arms, and he carried her inside. Then, that Doctor morphed into the one that she had just seen with the sad eyes but minutes before. She awoke with a shot.

"He and I….he…and…I…" Rose began, but couldn't finish it out loud. _He and I love each other. _

In the waiting room, the Doctor raised his head up.

"Oh, you brilliant sexy, blue thing you!" He exclaimed.

"What just happened?" Jackie asked.

"It's the TARDIS. We've got a link, Jackie. I know when she does anything big, and she's doing something big."  
>"What's she doin', then?" Jackie asked.<p>

"Helping Rose remember." The Doctor smiled, "She has a link, too, but she doesn't know it. Bad Wolf."

"Bad what?" Jackie said.

"Remember when you and Mickey saved the world with that big yellow truck? Rose absorbed the TARDIS' spirit, her own heart. They have a strong connection, and it allows my lovely old TARDIS to do stuff like this. Oh yes!" The Doctor exclaimed. He got up, and ran towards Rose's room.

"Doctor, wait up!" Jackie called following after him.

"You keep up!" He called back. He entered the room, where Rose was sitting up after waking up. The nurse was tending to Rose's IVs, but she didn't care. She got up out of bed.

"Oh no, Miss Tyler, you shouldn't…" The nurse said, trying to coax her back in bed.

"Doctor!" Rose exclaimed, "I think…I think I remember."  
>"I know." He said, rushing to where she was standing. She was still a little unsteady on her feet, but the bed was right behind her to catch her if she fell. the Doctor and Rose came together in a kiss that would rival the end of the best Disney movie, and tears began to fall from Rose's eyes.<p>

"How could I ever forget this?" She said, smiling, "Doctor…I love you."

"I love you too." The Doctor said. The nurse beside them smiled. Then, a round of applause rang out from the hall. It seemed like all the nurses, doctors, and medical students on the ward had gathered.

"It's about time!" Said a young woman near the front, dark hair that matched her skin up in a ponytail to keep it out of her way. The Doctor caught a glimpse of her badge- she was a medical student named Martha Jones.

"It seems we have fans!" The Doctor smiled. They kissed again, Rose sitting down on the bed. For the first time in a while, it wasn't the cancer making her lightheaded. Out of the window, Rose and the Doctor could see a group of skyscrapers in the distance. Canary Wharf. A well-known saying, _all good things must come to an end_, ran through the Doctor's head. And perhaps they did, but this was not that end, and they would make the most out of all the time they had left.


End file.
